


Cho can cook!

by JoyBooth



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2018-04-28 21:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5106530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyBooth/pseuds/JoyBooth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cho cooks for Vega, sort of...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She won’t wait long

Agent Kimball Cho was accustomed to getting calls in the middle of the night. It usually meant he would have to get up and investigate a murder, but tonight it was different. The voice on the other end of the line is unfamiliar. 

“Cho?”

“Who wants to know?” Cho snapped.

“Look, I have a woman here who needs a ride home and you are the first one on her contact list,” The bartender answered with equal if not more attitude. 

“Dark hair, about five – five?” He asked wondering what had made Lisbon fall off the wagon after all this time. 

“Yeah, and I would hurry she is getting a little aggressive.”

“Address?” Cho asked already pulling on his shirt and jeans. 

The bartender gave him the address, and he pulled in fifteen minutes after he hung up the phone. The bar wasn’t what he expected. Lisbon was a seedy bar type, but this was a night club. Music poured out before he even approached the door. He flashed his badge to get past the bouncer. 

His eyes swept the room for her familiar form as he made his way to the bar, but he didn’t see her. The whole drive across town, he had gone over their day in detail. He had spent most of the day with Vega, trying to track down any one who might have witnessed the shooting. Usually uniforms would do the canvasing, but when a cartel involved, things are never usual. Lisbon hadn’t seemed especially worried about the case. In fact, when she had left that night, she and Jane had been talking about a nice dinner at Vinzino’s. 

Maybe that was it. Something had gone wrong with Jane again. He was almost to the bar, when he heard a familiar voice cursing in rapid fire spanish. He turned to see Vega poking the chest of a very large man who looked a lot like their suspect. 

“Vega?” he called, not quite believing what he was seeing. It was Vega, but not like he had ever seen her. Her dark hair was curled and pulled back showing off her bare, toned shoulders. Her makeup was dark and her blood red dress looked like it was painted on.

She turned on him with fire in her eyes, but when she saw who was calling to her, her shoulders dropped. The suspect took the opportunity to disappear into the crowd.

“Didn’t expect to see you in a place like this,” she shouted loudly over the music. 

Instead of giving a verbal answer, Cho jutted his chin toward the back exit. Vega nodded. Once they were in the alley behind the club, she started again. 

“I thought you said you were going to bed early tonight,” she mumbled as she leaned on the brick wall. It was then that he noticed she was wearing 3 inch heels that put them at almost the same height. 

“I was in bed when I got a call about a drunk who was causing problems,” he snapped back remembering that he had been dragged out of bed by her stupidity. “What were you thinking in there? Are you looking to get killed?”

Vega pushed off the wall and into his personal space. “I was enjoying a night off, Sir. I don’t know who called you, or how they got your number, but I don’t need you.”

He stepped back just like she knew he would. He always backed away from her, but instead of letting her walk back into the club he started scolding her. 

“I got a call from the bartender,” he explained. “And he got my number from your cell phone.” 

Her hand dropped to her waist where she usually kept her phone, but the dress didn’t have a handy clip, so she had set it down and forgotten it. 

“Apparently, I am the first person on your speed dial,” he continued. She blushed. 

“Well, thanks for coming all this way, but like I said before, I don’t need your help. So, if you’ll excuse me…”

"I think you’ve had enough,” Cho said grabbing her arm. She ripped it away and stumbled back. 

“Just… back off,” she slurred. 

“I don’t have time for this,” he groaned and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

“I could sue you for sexual harassment,” she mumbled half heartedly. 

“If you still want to in the morning, Michelle, I will print off the forms for you.” They reached his car, and he opened the door before returning her to her feet. 

“Can we get a cheeseburger?” she mumbled, cuddling into the seat. 

“No.”

“Cho,” she whined. “I’m hungry!” 

“I am not feeding you. You’ll probably end up throwing up.”

“Will not,” she said with more than a little petulance. By the time he pulled up to her apartment, she was sound asleep. 

“Vega. Hey, Vega! Michelle, we’re at your place. You need to get up. Where are your keys?”

“Keys?” 

"Yeah, keys, the things you use to get into your apartment.”

“Reggie took them,” she mumbled sleepily. 

“Who’s Reggie?”

"The bartender..."

“Of course,” he said more to himself than the sleeping woman next to him. He should have thought of that before they left the bar. He considered his options. He could get her a hotel room for the night, but you would probably wake up confused, and it could be dangerous. Then again, if he took her home, he really could end up with a sexual harassment suit. His only other option would be to call Lisbon, but he knew Michelle wouldn’t want Theresa to see her like this. He kept trying to think of another plan as he drove home. 

When they pulled into his garage, Vega suddenly perked up. 

“Are we getting burgers?” she asked excitedly. 

“No. We are at my house, because you forgot your keys, and I didn’t think you would want Lisbon to know what you’ve been up to.”

“Oh god no, please don’t tell her. She be so mad, so will Abott, and Cho!” she said in a panic. He just waited. Then she started giggling. “You’re Cho,” she laughed even harder. “Hey, Kimball, can you cook?” she drew out the m in his name as she said it, and then broke it giggles again. 

“Apparently, you are one of those people who must be fed before they will pass out,” he said with a hint of amusement. “Come in the house, and we will see what I can find.”

The garage was attached to the house by a door that opened into the kitchen. Vega sat down at the table, while Cho moved around the kitchen. So he placed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of her. 

“You cut off the corners,” she said happily. Cho blushed.   
“I’m going to go find something for you to sleep in,” he said as he left the room.

“I put the plate in the dish washer,” Vega said as she wondered into his room a minute later. 

“Thanks, the shorts will be big, but there’s a drawstring, so…”

Vega smiled and took the clothes. Once she had changed, she went to the living room. 

“You can have the bed in my room.” Cho was making up the couch.

“Don’t be silly, Kimball. We are both adults here. We can share, or I can sleep on the couch. I will fit better anyway,” she teased, flopping down onto the couch to prove her point. 

Kimball Cho did not have a foot fetish, but the slight of her like this, practically swimming in his clothes, made something in him snap. 

“Come on then, we have to be at work in a few hours,” he said pulling her to her feet, and headed to his room. He had changed into sleeping pants while she was eating, so they both got into bed, and after a few tense minutes, exhaustion and alcohol lulled them to sleep. 

Michelle woke up with a start. She was in a strange bed with a man. She needed to think. Whenever she drank, she always woke early the next morning. She looked at the clock on the bed side table. 5:45. Just as she thought. At least she wouldn’t be late for work. Work. Cho. Oh god, Cho. She looked over her shoulder at the man cuddled into her back. 

She tried to get out of bed, but his arms tightened around her. Oh god, it couldn’t get any worse. She gotten drunk, tried to pick a fight with a drug lord, and slept with her superior, who she had a giant crush on. Well at least she hadn’t tried to actually sleep with him. She tried to slip away again, but he mumbled her name, and she stilled. 

Was he dreaming of her, or did he remember she was there? Either way, it made her realize that the crush she was harboring was not entirely one sided, so she settled back down and went back to sleep.


	2. Stakeout

”Cho?” Vega sighed, she was bored out of her mind, hungry and sick of being on stakeout.  
“Yes, Agent Vega?”  
“I don’t think this guy is going to show.”  
“it’s only been..” he checked his watch. “5 hours, we can wait a little longer.”  
“But he was supposed to be at the drop site 3 hours ago, and I’m hungry.”  
“Drug addicts aren’t known for being on time. This is the only lead we have.”  
“So, we just wait here forever?”  
“I brought you a sandwich and some peanut butter cups.”  
“What? Really?”  
“Yeah, I noticed you skipped dinner, so I figured you’d get hungry sooner or later.” He grabbed a paper bag from the back seat and handed it to her.  
“You cut the crusts again.”  
“You seemed to like it that way.”  
“I do, and thanks for thinking of me.” She took a bite of the sandwich, then turned back to him. “What about you?”  
“What about me?”  
“Aren’t you hungry?”  
“I’m alright.”  
“But, you skipped dinner too. You should split this with me.”  
“Really, Vega, I’m fine.”  
“Fine or not, I insist you eat some.”  
“Fine, but only because you insist, and you can have the candy. It’s too sweet for me.”  
“Deal! I wasn’t offering to share that anyway.”  
“Brat!”  
“Grouch!”  
“Wait isn’t that him?”  
“Where?”  
“West end of the park,”  
“Yeah, that’s him.”  
“Alright we wait til he makes the drop, and then take him down.”  
“I got your back.”  
They apprehended the suspect without any problems and within a few minutes of the interrogation, Jane had him talking about crimes they weren’t even aware of yet. While they finished their paper work, Vega ate her peanut butter cups and Cho drank the coffee she left on his desk.


	3. Hospital room

“Hey?” he called from the door of the hospital room.  
“Hey, yourself stranger.”   
“I didn’t mean to…”   
”It’s fine.”  
“It isn’t, but I brought you something.” He produced a tupperware from behind his back.   
“You really cooked for me?”  
“Well, Lisbon said you had been complaining about the food, so I just thought…”  
“It’s nice. Thank you.”  
“It’s just chicken soup.”  
“With alphabits!”   
“That’s all I had,” he shrugged.  
“Supervisory Special Agent Kimball Cho only had alphabits?”  
“I watched Madeline the other day and she wanted to make soup.”  
“I knew you were a softy under all that bluster,” she teased.   
He just glared at her. “Do you want the soup or not?”  
“I do.”  
“Good. Well, I’m going to head out then. See you when you get back to work.”  
“You know, I wouldn’t mind company if you wanted to hang around awhile.”  
“You should be resting.”  
Michelle groaned. “I rest all the time. I’m bored. Can’t you just stay for a few more minutes.”  
“I guess,” he sighed, pulling one of the chairs in the room closer to her bed. “What were you doing before I came?”  
“I was trying to read, but the words are just swimming around the page. The nurse said it is the blood loss and pain medication.”  
“I guess… I could read to you, if you want.”  
“That would be nice.” She adjust the pillows and leaned back.  
“As I Lay dying, really?” he asked picking up the book on the bedside table.   
“I think Jane thought it would be funny or something, but I don’t have anything else.”  
“I don’t mind, if you don’t mind.”   
“Alright then, the book mark is in it.”  
He started to read, his steady voice helping her relax. Her eyes drifted closed as the words came alive in her mind.


	4. Divinity

Cho was just sitting down to dinner when his text tone alerted him to an incoming message.  
Michelle Vega: Thank you for the divinity.  
Kimball Cho: Who is this?  
Michelle Vega: I know you have my number, you could have just said your welcome.  
Kimball Cho: I don’t know what you’re talking about.  
Michelle Vega: I’m talking about the box of homemade divinity on my desk this morning.  
Kimball Cho: (…)  
Michelle Vega: I know it was you, because you are the only one I told the story about my Nana making it for me every year.  
Kimball Cho: Happy Birthday.  
Michelle Vega: Thank you.  
Michelle Vega: And I think this means you need to come over to my place.  
Kimball Cho: Excuse me?  
Michelle Vega: This marks the 4th time you’ve cooked for me. I need to return the favor. I make an amazing pozole.  
Michelle Vega: It is a secret family recipe.  
Kimball Cho: You really don’t have to do that.  
Kimball Cho: I really didn’t even mean for you to know the divinity was from me.  
Michelle Vega: I know, but just come over. Just two friends having dinner.  
Michelle Vega: You go out with Agent Lisbon and Jane, and Rigsby and Van Pelt.  
Kimball Cho: It’s not the same.  
Michelle Vega: Why?  
Kimball Cho: It just is.  
It was almost a minute later when his conscience got to him.  
Kimball Cho: If you really want to cook for me, I’m free on Saturday, as long as we don’t end up with a case.  
Michelle Vega: Ok, Saturday it is, unless we get a case.  
Kimball Cho: Have a good night, Vega.  
Michelle Vega: You to.


	5. Cake

“I got you a piece of cake.” Cho said as he sat down next to her. 

“Why are you always trying to feed me?”

“I’m not. They handed me a piece of cake, but I don’t like sweets, so I thought I would give it to you.”

“Oh,” she looked at the cake for a moment. 

“What are you doing sitting over here by yourself?” 

She had purposefully moved away from the lit dance floor to a bench by the water. “I just needed some quiet.”

Silence stretched between them. It was one of the things he liked about her. She could talk your ear off, but she could also just sit in silence without feeling the need to chatter. She picked at the cake, but before long set it beside her. 

“You still don’t have your appetite back?” 

“It’s only been a few weeks,” She shrugged. 

“Have you talked to your doctor about it?”

“I wasn’t much of an eater before.”

“You should talk to your doctor.”

She nodded not really looking at him. 

“Do you think they will be happy?” she asked. 

Cho followed her eyes to Jane and Lisbon sitting across the lake. “I’ve known them for a long time. They work best together.”

“But that doesn’t really mean they would be a good couple. I mean Jane is great, but he’s so…”

“Jane, yeah, you get used to it.”

“Really?” she asked looking at him in surprise. He returned her gaze.

“Not really. I guess you get used to having no idea what’s going on most of the time.”

“I wouldn’t want to be with someone like that. I mean I’m happy for them, but I like knowing what’s going to happen next. I like my home life to be steady and calm.”

“Makes sense. I dated a girl like Jane. She was… she was like a hurricane. It was crazy and fun for a while, but it couldn’t last. Not for me. With the way our job is, I like my home life to have order. I like to know that when I leave work, that will have been the hardest part of my day.”

“So, you don’t, you know what never mind…”

“I don’t, what?”

She seemed to weigh weither she should really ask, but then turned back to the lake taking a deep breath, then asking. “You don’t date?” 

Cho looked surprised. Maybe it was the fact that he was actually talking about his personal life and didn’t feel horribly uncomfortable. “I date. Not very often, but I date. I, uh, like women. It’s just hard, with the schedule and finding the right person.”

“Yeah, the last three dates I went on were blind dates my mom set up.”

Again, Cho was surprised. “and how did that go?”

“She wants me to settle down. She was married at 20 and she wants me to have someone to take care of me. She doesn’t get that I can take care of myself. I want to take care of myself, and all the guys are these like carbon copies of my brothers. All they care about it football and firefighting and fu… finding someone to go home with them at the end of the night.”

“Firefighting?”

“Yeah, my dad is a retired firefighter, and both of my brothers are also firefighters.”

“Oh, but that’s not what you wanted.”

“No, I love my job. Even when it’s hard,” she mumbled, rubbing the spot where a bandage still covered her healing bullet wound. 

“You’re good at it. You have good instincts.”

“Thank you.” She wasn’t sure what else to say, but she was lucky, because at that moment Madeline Rigsby came toddling over. 

“Uncle Kimmy, you dance with me!” 

Cho looked at Vega apologetically, but was pulled away by the demanding child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I changed the back story a little bit, but here it is.


End file.
